Celebrate Earth Week with a gently used new outfit!

Kimberly Hernandez (right) looks at a purple dress at the clothing swap on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, Calif. Santa Monica College Associate Students, Santa Monica College Sustainability Center, and Santa Monica College club Thrifted Treasures hosted a clothing swap outside the Bodega in honor of Earth Week. (Mary Funsten | The Corsair)

Emily Chuang (right), the Founder and President of club Thrifted Treasures sits at the table while a participant signs in at the Earth Day clothing swap on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, Calif. The Associated Students collaborated with the Thrifted Treasures club to organize an Earth Day clothing swap where participants could bring in clothing and/or take home something off the racks. (Mary Funsten | The Corsair)

Nana Nishizawa browses the clothing racks at the clothing swap on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, Calif. Santa Monica College Associate Students, Santa Monica College Sustainability Center, and Santa Monica College club Thrifted Treasures hosted a clothing swap outside the Bodega in honor of Earth Week. (Mary Funsten | The Corsair)

Julia Kowalski, Associated Students Sustainability Director and Emily Chuang, the Founder and President of club Thrifted Treasures oversee the Earth Day clothing swap on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, Calif. To promote sustainability, the Associated Students collaborated with the Thrifted Treasures club to organize an Earth Day clothing swap where participants could bring in clothing and/or take home something off the racks. (Mary Funsten | The Corsair)

Swapping, upcycling and purchasing gently used clothes can be an alternative to the detrimental effects of fast fashion on the environment and climate. Santa Monica College’s (SMC’s) Associated Students, Sustainability Center, and the Thrifted Treasures club came together to offer these alternatives to the student body. On Wednesday, April 23, they held a “clothing swap” as part of SMC’s Earth Week celebrations, allowing students to bring in clothes they don’t need anymore and swap it for something new to them.  

Emily Chuang, the founder and president of club Thrifted Treasures at SMC said, “So people just bring in clothes and they can get them from the racks. We have free snacks and then once they're done, they just sign off here with their name, and number of items that they got.” A sign-in sheet, free cookies and trail mix packages were on a table. Five double-sided racks were filled with various pants, shirts and dresses.

In one hour after the event started, many people had come by to check out the clothing on the racks, and 13 people had found something new to take home.

Associated Students sustainability director, Julia Kowalski said, “The main thing with this event too, is just to promote Bodega awareness. All students just know that they can always come and donate clothes, and they can always come and grab some clothes. Snacks are available too.”

If you are interested in sustainability in fashion, the SMC club Thrifted Treasures offers related workshops and events. "We focus primarily on upcycling and sustainability. We conduct sewing workshops, go on thrift trips. And last semester, we organized [a clothing swap] for Halloween costumes," said Chuang. For more information about the club contact, thriftedtreasures.smc@gmail.com or follow them on Instagram: @thriftedtreasures.smc.